Part 1: Orsus
Section 1: Adaption
Chapter 3-Mokusei Hitohana
To tell the truth, Makoto had held almost everything and anything on the Moon to be suspicious until she had finally cracked and opened up for her comrades. Now, six months later, she was content to be where she was. It was strange rooming Setsuna, she thought to herself, for the older girl was extremely private and introverted. While Makoto never knew what _she_ was thinking, Setsuna always knew what her roommate was thinking. Getting quietly out of bed in the early morning, she glanced outside the window and was greeted by pale rays of new sunlight peeking over the horizon. Smiling to herself, the brunette began practicing her stance. They still had not gone far enough to begin using broadswords, but they were improving in the fundamentals and basics. With her right foot jutting forward slightly, Makoto reminded herself in a voice reminiscent of her teachers, ‘Maintain the center of gravity...keep the foot forward. Okay. Good. Now, make the transitions between defense and offense. Don't let that right foot slip! Still got that center of gravity? Keep your balance...and...ah hah!" Flushed at her success, she suddenly toppled over in an ungainly somersault when a quiet voice spoke behind her, startling her.
"Ohayo, Mako-chan." [Good morning.]
Picking herself and glaring at Setsuna, the scowl dissolved a second later into nothingness as she asked excitedly, "Did you see that, Suna-chan? I kept my balance _and_ my right foot forward!"
"Good," the other replied casually, "now why don't you switch to the left foot?"
Shooting her a dirty look, Makoto gathered her clothes and bathing things, steeling herself for her ice-cold shower. Of course, she didn't purposely make the water cold, but it took a while for the water to warm up, and she didn't have time to wait. Only Haruka seemed to understand. Facing the cold water was just one of the trials of her life, and Makoto took the good with the bad. Everyone else was lucky, she thought to herself enviously, even Rei. She didn't like the name Makoto, just as Rei despised Nukumori, and taking the name Mokusei was even worse. So she was stuck with Hitohana. If only she could be Makoto to entire world...but you can't have everything in life, and that was a lesson she had learned early on.
Nodding to Michiru, who smiled at her from her place by the mirror, Makoto stepped across the partition, turned on the water, and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable stream of freezing water. Shivering at the cold blast, she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, doing her best not to shriek.
A few minutes later, she was able to think coherent thoughts and did. Michiru at the sink reminded her of old jealousies. Makoto didn't want to be the type of girl who always wanted what others had, but she did envy the previous Princess of Neptune a little. She was intelligent, graceful, classy, and she knew how to put on make-up even at ten that made her look mature and grown-up. Makoto wished she could have part of each of the girls as herself, even though it was totally impossible.
She wanted Minako's happiness and complete trust in the world, the bright sunny smile and optimistic outlook. Minako was also a very pretty girl, and everyone could already see the older woman shining through her, even though she took it in a stride. She was affectionate, kind, and a born leader–however much she might worry about leading the senshi.
Rei was deeply spiritual, and Makoto admired her control. She was just as pretty as Minako, although in a different, intense way. She understood almost as much as Setsuna did, and she could always keep secrets. Her unquenchable spirit was also something to be praised, for Rei never gave up a fight if she could help it.
The little blue-haired girl was innocent beyond belief in some things but ancient in the workings of the world and whatever new technologies came about. In this, Makoto did not feel any resentment or envy towards Ami. Instead, she felt a soft protectiveness and wanted to keep this precious, precocious child safe.
The oldest girl among them was the best-trained, and Makoto always followed the good example she set. She wished she could be as good in training as her, but Setsuna was quick to assure her that she would catch up soon. Her mysteriousness and prophecies held more truth than she wanted to accept in them, but she always listened to her. Setsuna was a mentor for them all.
Haruka was a different story, as usual. Comrade in complaining, rushing ahead, and fighting, she and Makoto were one in spirit. They both wanted to be free and hated cages, especially ones that could not be seen, only felt. Of course, they did get into their occasional spats, but she was one of the only three girls who could get along reasonably well with Haruka.
Lastly, there was Hotaru, with her capable hands and shy manner that could disappear in an instant when one of them was hurt. Then she would become cool and direct, as well as in control. Makoto still wasn't sure if she could keep her head in a battle or in bloodshed, but she knew that Hotaru would be able to. They were the same age, but for some strange reason, they weren't close.
Getting out of the shower, the brown-haired girl toweled herself off briskly and pulled on her white shirt and shorts. After some arguing, she had finally pointed out to Setsuna that if they wore shorts underneath their skirts for modesty in case a sudden wind blew up, there wasn't any point in having that extra layer of material. Now, she only had the pants. And she was proud of herself, too: no matter what, she promised herself, whether she was Kino Makoto or Mokusei Hitohana, she would be a pioneer who would follow her soul.
~~~~*~~~~
Makoto watched narrowly when she saw Luna wheeling forth a strange, tan-colored wooden beam with the help of Aoao. Soyakaze and Kaiiki were working with another identical apparatus. They had quickly learned the specialities of each of the guardians long ago.
Luna was good at everything, an all-around type teacher, so she worked most often with the girls. But besides that, she was rather like Setsuna, both confidante and mentor. Artemis, her partner, worked with speed, agility, and weapons like broadswords and rapiers. Kyuusho was often seen with the Mau team, because her focus was on metalwork. With one glance or touch, she could judge how well something was made by its tempering and structure. Her focus was an important one: sabers.
Phobos and Deimos were another competent team, working mostly with the mind. The former was expert in meditation, something she insisted on having all the girls learn, while her counterpart taught spiritual techniques.
The two bird women were yet another pair: they worked with the more physical aspects of the body, sometimes collaborating with Artemis. Aoao knew exactly which muscles were needed for a certain exercise, which ones were harder to exercise, and how to build them. Soyakaze helped the girls stretch each morning, after morning practice, after lunch, and late in the afternoon. There was another session at night to make sure they didn't cramp up. Her words and positioning hands were rough, but there was a kindness in her eyes that reached out to them, and they appreciated her help.
The last trio consisted of Fujiro, Koori, and Kaiiki. The last of the three was imperious, demanding...and extremely graceful. Whatever she did looked as though she were dancing on a stage, as if she had wings. That was why she could perfect balance, positioning, and stances. Fujiro had not taught the girls much yet, because only Hotaru and Ami had been able to use their magic–under the strict training and restrictions of their guardians. Fujiro had promised, though, that she would teach them how to transfer energy in a few years. Koori was a healer, and she was the main teacher for Hotaru and partly for Ami, despite the fact that she was her guardian. Whatever spare time Koori had was spent assisting Luna, who needed it dealing with all of them.
Wiping her hands off on her practice breeches, Luna smiled around at them all, gathering her very curly black hair into a neat bun. As she spoke, the green-haired woman and blue-haired woman tugged out some thick mats from a closet. "Good morning, ladies. This is called a balance beam. As its name indicates, you will learn how to keep your body steady on the sheerest of edges, and it will teach you how to retain balance and grace. I'm afraid Aoao-chan and Soyakaze-chan will be rather useless in this department, but they've graciously offered to help. Kaiiki will be your main teacher."
Stepping forward, the aqua-haired woman glanced around at them for a long moment, green lights in her eyes. Softly, although every word was heard, she told them, "Not many people in this world are born with natural grace. Nevertheless, your center of gravity can always be found. Balance is required in life, and one day, you may find yourselves needing it in crucial situations. But first, you are learning this to prepare you for learning broadsword. Unfortunately, you won't be ready for that until next year–another long six months. Setsuna-chan, you first. For demonstrative purposes."
Sighing, Setsuna checked to make sure that her bun of dark green here was in place and that no strands would fall into her face. Hopping up nimbly, she steadied herself quickly. Walking from one end of the beam to another without wobbling, she suddenly flipped backwards twice, then cartwheeled forward. Staggering slightly, she dismounted with a neat jump and landed on both feet. Shaking her head, she told them all, "I'm not very good at this, considering I don't have what the guardians call ‘natural grace.' But with practice, you become better. At first, you should have seen me failing off left and right."
With a ghost of a smile, Luna patted her on the shoulder. "Very nice, Suna-chan. You're coming along well." When she whispered something into the girl's ear, she nodded in agreement.
"Minako-chan, Makoto-chan, Michiru-chan–you'll be working with Kaiiki-chan for now. The rest of you will be helped by Luna-chan and the others."
Glancing at Michiru and Minako nervously, the brunette girl was startled when the aqua-haired girl walked forwards confidently. ‘Of course,' she thought to herself, ‘Michiru-chan was a princess once. She must have done things like this or learned how to hold herself properly. And Mina-chan...she has to do everything the best, because she's the leader. But why me?'
Kaiiki looked at them for a moment, searchingly, then nodded to her charge. "Michiru-chan, you first. Walk the length of the beam, then turn around and come back."
Nodding, the girl took off her shoes and placed both her hands on the wood and pushed herself up to a standing position. She spread her arms out in a T position to her body. Waiting a few seconds to readjust to the new feeling, Michiru then began to walk rather quickly, placing one foot directly in front of the other. When she came to the end of the beam, she turned lightly on the ball of her right foot, her left foot in the air. Slowly it came down once more, and she walked back to the edge of the beam, then jumped down.
"Excellent. Minako-chan, you next."
Casting a glance at Makoto, the blond-haired girl wiped her clammy palms on her pants and climbed up less gracefully. ‘I hate heights, I really hate heights,' she thought to herself, turning pale. Wobbling a tiny bit as she walked, she nearly fell off at the end attempting the same trick as Michiru had done. Kaiiki leaned up to grab her flailing arm and steadied her; after a minute, she let go, and Minako walked back, cheeks red with humiliation.
"Very nice start. Makoto-chan?"
Green eyes determined, she came forwards and pushed herself up as the two before her had. Feeling Michiru and Minako's eyes on her, as well as Kaiiki's, she straightened herself proudly and began to walk. Trying to walk as fast Michiru had, one foot slipped off the beam, but she quickly gathered herself and regained her balance. Reaching the end of the beam, she whirled as fast as lightning but was unable to catch her footing. Falling heavily onto the mats that had been placed for the exact purpose, she ignored Minako and Michiru rushing forward, as well as Kaikii's hand. Getting up, she hopped back on the wood and completed the exercise.
Kaiiki regarded her seriously for an instance. "Mako-chan, you must learn that sometimes pride is a dangerous thing. Do not be so quick to prove yourself as adept as others. You have your strengths, and others have theirs."
"Why did you make me do this with Michiru-chan and Minako-chan if they're so much better than I am?"
"They aren't. You are all beginners. But you three...you have inborn grace. Don't thwart it by trying to do what you don't have the ability to do yet, Makoto-chan."
~~~~*~~~~
"Mako-chan, aren't you going to eat?"
Staring out across the cratered face of the Moon, the brunette girl snapped sullenly, "Iie." [No.]
Instead of leaving, as the other plainly wanted her to do, Michiru sat down next to her. Also looking at the surface of the satellite, she inquired, "Why are you so upset?"
"Because...because I haven't found anything that I'm really good at."
"But you heard Kaiiki-chan. You have natural grace."
Snorting, she retorted, "Then where is it?"
"The others fell, too. And you heard Setsuna. When she began this long before we did, she fell off a lot."
Unwillingly, Makoto looked at the other girl. She was older by two years, but the age difference seemed to span much more than that. Doing her best to keep the envy out of her tone, she complimented, "You looked really great on the beam today, Michiru-chan."
Shrugging slim shoulders, she sighed. "My mother insisted that I be ladylike. Ladies have small feet. Ladies are slim and beautiful. Ladies do this, ladies do that. But princesses. Princesses do everything and more that ladies do. And do you know what?"
"Nani?" [What?]
"Princesses are stupid. They're useless. At least, most of them are," she added as an afterthought.
Blinking, she exclaimed, "Nani?!" [What?!]
Aquamarine eyes sad, Michiru leaned back in her chair. "You see," she explained, "I wasn't taught anything useful on Neptune. All right, so I learned how to drink tea and look nice. Looking nice won't save the world. It won't do anything for anyone, not even me. So why bother? Because it makes you feel good if you look good, doesn't it?"
Makoto thought to herself about how disappointing she thought her reflection looked and nodded in agreement.
"We should get rid of that. We should be able to know our worth instead of judging by beauty. Beauty is nothing. It only lasts for a few years, and then no one looks at you when you're old and ugly."
The brown-haired girl blinked again, not expecting words like these to pour out of Michiru's rose-lipped mouth.
Tying back her wavy tresses, she continued, "Princesses are nothing but pawns. Men have all the power in the world, and the only female ruler who has made a difference is Queen Serenity-sama. See, princesses are useful. They can be shown off for a while, then offered to the highest bidder. Then they're expected to make babies and yield all control to their husbands. It's idiotic. I may have been Crown Princess of Neptune, but I never would have done anything for my people. Whoever my otou-san chose for me to marry would have everything. I would be treated like a possession."
Reaching over to take her hand, which had previously been white and soft, Makoto felt the calluses and scars that had developed in such a short time, marring perfection but somehow creating an even worthier appearance. "You know, in a few years or so, when we call come back, we'll be able to make a difference in peoples's lives."
Smiling to herself and to the other girl, Michiru nodded. "Demo, you've already made differences in peoples' lives, Mako-chan. You fought for them back on Jupiter. You fought, even though the life you were leading was hardly better than theirs. You are Mokusei Hitohana. A Jovian single flower that can stand alone against the wind when others cannot. Now come eat, because it won't do any good for the people you want to help if you starve." [But...]
Grinning wryly, the brunette followed the aqua-haired one inside, thinking about the food for thought she had been given. Maybe her new life and name weren't all that bad, and maybe she wasn't such a worthless a person.
~~~~*~~~~
Early one morning, Makoto was awaked by a rather loud knock on the door. It creaked open to admit a much taller girl, who tiptoed over to the bed. "Mako-chan! Are you up?"
"Hai...Mina-chan, what's going on?" [Yes...]
"You won't believe who's _hugging_ outside!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly, barely remembering to keep her voice down. "It's Kyuusho-chan and some strange guy!"
Smiling to herself, Setsuna asked from the top bunk, "Why don't you leave them alone?"
"Demo...what would be the fun of that?" [But...]
Sighing, the older girl rolled over in bed and faced the wall. "It's not that interesting. I'm going to sleep."
Getting up, Makoto wheedled, "Oh, come on, Suna-chan. I bet you _are_ interested. Besides, imagine if something happened to us. You're supposed to watch over us, ne?"
Glaring at the younger two girls, the dark-haired one stepped down the ladder, yawning. "Fine. Intrude on their privacy. See if I care."
"But you're coming, ne?"
"Hai." [Yes.]
"Good. We knew you wouldn't want to miss it."
"I didn't say anything of the kind."
"Oh sure," Haruka teased, "now come on before they leave!"
On their way to the balcony, despite Setsuna's protests, Haruka woke all the others up and dragged them out of bed. When they reached the look-out point, she pointed and crowed, "See! I told you I wasn't lying!"
Shushing her impatiently, Michiru ran a hand through her tangled hair and nodded sleepily. "Okay, we've seen them. Now can we go back to sleep? It's really not that nice to disturb them."
"Who said anything about disturbing them? We'll just watch." Suddenly, they all gasped when Kyuusho and her mysterious visitor disappeared in a brilliant flush of dark reddish light. "Nani?! Masaka....they turned into crows!!!" [What?! Oh my gosh/etc...]
Sighing, Setsuna told them, "Hai. Just like Luna-chan and Artemis-kun can take cat form, remember?"
"So that's what they meant...but who's the guy?"
"Her onii-san. He just arrived yesterday from their home planet." [Her older brother.]
Quietly, Makoto asked her, "How old is Kyuusho-chan?"
Smiling at her, she replied, "She's twenty-two."
"She's younger than I thought she would be."
Ruffling her shiny brown hair, the older girl walked into the hall. "Come on, minna. Let them have some privacy; Kyuu-chan's been away from home since she was twelve."
"I've been away since I was seven," Ami put in.
"You're still seven, Ami-chan."
"Oh. Right. It feels like such a long time since I left Mercury, though."
Looking back over her shoulder, Makoto agreed, "Hai, it does feel that way. Does Kyuusho-chan miss her home?" [Yes..]
"Of course."
"Well, why can't she go back?"
"Because she's been named a guardian. She has to stay with us to teach us."
Minako tugged at the ends of her long hair in thought for a second. "It's the same with us, isn't it? Once we're confirmed senshi...we can never look back."
When Setsuna agreed, eyes serious, Makoto shivered. She wanted to discover her future for herself, and she wanted to choose the path she would walk in life. Could it already be pre-determined by someone she didn't know? By someone that didn't even know her, her past, or what she wanted? Or maybe it was someone that knew everything about her...her innermost secrets...what she desired...her dreams... No, she promised herself. The only person that would know that much about her would be herself. No one else.
~~~~*~~~~
Soon the girls were granted permission to go to the largest and most prosperous market on the Moon, very near the capital, but Makoto couldn't walk, having recently sprained an ankle. Even though she hadn't wanted to be a burden, Hotaru had insisted on staying with her, and nothing could budge the girl from her side. They spent a lively afternoon playing games and talking, and Makoto was surprised to see that Hotaru wasn't as young as she had thought. "Hotaru-chan, do you ever miss your family?" she asked curiously. While Hotaru had also been a princess before, she hadn't seemed quite as regal or commanding as Michiru.
"Hai...just my otou-san. I didn't like my new okaa-san, and she always kept my half-sisters away from me. They were under strict orders not to talk to me, either." [Yes...just my father. I didn't like my new mother...]
"You had sisters?"
"Mm hm. They were younger than me. Kousei and Koumyou. What about you, Mako-chan? Did you have any siblings?"
"I had an onii-san, once..." [I had an older brother, once...]
"What happened to him?"
"I don't...I don't know. He just...disappeared one day. Rai-kun always took care of me before that, but then one day he wouldn't tell me where he was going and told me not to go outside until he came for me. Well, he never came back, so I don't know what happened to him. I don't even know if he's still alive."
Deep purple eyes said, Hotaru asked, "How long ago was this?"
"Um...two years ago, maybe."
Suddenly, the other girl got up and said, "Excuse me, Mako-chan. I...just got something in my eye, I think. A speck of dust."
Watching her go, Makoto thought to herself, ‘She was _crying_. I didn't think it was that sad a story myself...but I don't know. On my quest, I'll go back to Jupiter. I'll see if Rai-kun is still there, and this time I won't be afraid to ask his friends about him.'
"Mako-chan?"
Startled out of her thoughts, the brunette girl looked up and smiled warmly. "Michiru-chan! I didn't know you were back already."
She returned the smile, pushing back a dark chocolate curl for the younger girl. "Makoto-chan, I bought these earrings for you today."
"Nani? But...I don't have pierced ears." [What?...]
"I know." The aqua-haired one clipped them on carefully and gave her a gentle push towards the mirror. "Go look at how pretty you look."
Looking the mirror at her reflection, she smiled and touched the delicate rose earrings in her ears, with shiny chips of pink mica. "Demo, Michiru-chan, I can't accept anything like this." [But...]
"Of course you can. And now, whenever you feel sad or incompetent, go look in the mirror at the person you are, Mako-chan."
"It's one of dreams to be like you, Michiru-chan. I want to be just like you. You're so good at everything, and you're really much nicer than I am. And besides that, you're always so elegant and pretty."
Touching her cheek gently, Michiru said, "Never wish to be someone else. You would be surprised to hear that I envy you, Mako-chan."
"Me?"
"Hai, you. You have a different path to walk, and you are not destined to be someone like me. Being ornamental is nothing important. Instead," she smiled, "you will be Mokusei-sama. You are braver and stronger than I will ever be, and your will is so strong that no one will ever be able to dominate you. You don't care for petty things like pretty clothes or fighting over boys. Instead, you know what is important in life. Mako-chan, beautiful flower, when you bloom, you will flourish and be an asset to the Inner Senshi. Until then, be patient and trust in yourself. Look in your mirror at your reflection: you will always see the person you are, and you will never be ashamed of your image, because you will always see a wonderful person."
Caelum
